More and more, commercial mobile platforms, such as aircrafts, ships, trains and buses, are being equipped to meet the ever increasing passenger demand for in-transit entertainment and electrical power outlets to operate various electronic devices, such as laptop computers, at their seats. To provide the passenger with such features, electrical power and data must be delivered to each seat. Typically, power and data are delivered to passenger seats via numerous cables that typically run between the passenger seats above the floor. These cables generally have many connectors, which are highly variable depending upon the particular positional layout of the passenger seats, i.e. seat pitch. Many unique part numbers are required for these cables, which makes the custom-made cables expensive to purchase.
Additionally, cables carrying power and/or data between the seats and a power and/or data source are difficult to install, maintain, and replace. Generally, the cables are laid out in groups/bundles on the floor of the passenger cabin, and the seat groups are carried in over the exposed cables and fastened to the top side of the passenger cabin floor panels. A portion of the cables are typically positioned beneath a covering, such as the seat track cover. Another portion, that includes connectors to seat electronics units (SEU), generally located under the seats, is left exposed to connect with the yet to be installed seat groups. Taking care to avoid the exposed wires increases both the complexity of the operation and the amount of time required to install the seats. Mechanics then have to crawl along the floor making multiple individual connections to join the bundles together and to join the individual bundles to the SEU's or other equipment in the seats. This makes these cables expensive to install and replace.
Furthermore, in order to change the configuration of the seats or to replace the seats, the mechanics must again crawl along the floor, disconnect the wiring from each seat or seat group, and maneuver the seats around the exposed wiring. Still further, in order to change the position of the seat groups, the mobile platform must be re-wired so that the wiring will reach the seats in their new positions. These procedures for reconfiguring and re-wiring a mobile platform are costly and time consuming procedures.
Therefore, it is desirable to eliminate cables with unique part numbers, reduce the number of connectors to approximately one per seat group and reduce, preferably eliminate, the re-engineering required when seat pitch is altered.